The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), a vaccine advisory board for the CDC, will discuss the COVID-19 vaccines and their injuries during an upcoming meeting.
According to a notice on the meeting, “The agenda will include updates on ACIP Workgroups and discussions on COVID-19 vaccine injuries and Long-COVID and ACIP recommendation methodology. Recommendation votes may be scheduled for COVID-19 vaccine injuries and Long-COVID and ACIP recommendation methodology. Agenda items are subject to change as priorities dictate.”
The CDC adopted a previous recommendation from the committee surrounding the hepatitis B vaccine for newborns. The recommendation allowed parents to choose whether to give their child the vaccine if the mother tests negative for the virus. For infants not receiving the birth dose, it is suggested that they be vaccinated no earlier than two months old.
Infants born to mothers who test positive for hepatitis B are still encouraged to receive the birth dose of the vaccine.
“This recommendation reflects ACIP’s rigorous review of the available evidence,” said then-Acting Director of the CDC and Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services Jim O’Neill. “We are restoring the balance of informed consent to parents whose newborns face little risk of contracting hepatitis B.”
In September, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced the appointment of five members to the ACIP.
“ACIP safeguards the health of Americans by issuing objective, evidence-based vaccine recommendations,” Kennedy said in a statement. “Its new members bring diverse expertise that strengthens the committee and ensures it fulfills its mission with transparency, independence, and gold-standard science.”
